John s



, U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN s. MILLER, E ST. LOUIS, MIssoUEI, ASSIGNOR on ONE-THIRD TO GUSTAV FREY, 0E SAME PLACE.

sTA'M P CASE AND ATTACH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 279,786, dated June 19, 1883.

Appliation filed May 17, 1882. 0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. MILLER, of the city of St. Louis, in the Stateof Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Stamp Case and Attacher, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My case has an open-bottomed cavity equal in transverse area to the postage or other stamp for which it is used, and contains a gravitating weight or follower fitting the interior and bearing upon the stamps. Inturned lips engage the edges of the lower stamp and prevent its vertical escape, while upon one or two sides the lips are absent and said side or sides slightly shortened to allow the escape of the stamp sidewise. In the preferred form one of the sides is made removable for the ready introduction of stamps; also the weight is held down by spring-pawls engaging on ratchet bars or surfaces and sprung inward to allow the lifting 'of the weight by knobs extending through vertical slots in the sides.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is .a perspective view illustrating my improvement. Fig. 2 is a section at 2 2, Fig. Fig. 3 is a section at 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section at 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a bottom view.

The case has three sides, A A and B, that may be made in one piece of sheet metal. They are attached at top to a head or plug, 0, that may be of wood or metal. The plates may be supported at bottom by a band, 'I). The fourth side, E, is made removable, its edges being beveled and sliding in dovetail grooves a, made in the edges of the sides A. The side or slide E may be held in position by a spring-catch, F, secured to the head or plug, whose outer end is formed into a hook engaging in an eye-hole in the slide. I will say here that the side E may be permanently attached to the sides A but I prefer to make it removable for the easy insertion of the stamps S. I do not confine myself to the described means for holding the side or slide E in place, for this may be readily varied without essentially changing the instrument.

a and e are lips turned inward at the lower edges of the sides A and E, to engage the edges of the stamps and prevent their acci-' dental escape. These lips are shown beveled to an edge, so that the lower or gummed sur face of the stamp may come in hard contact with the envelope or other paper to which the stamp is to be attached. The side B is made without a lip, and its lower edge does not descend quite so low as those of the other sides. This is to allow the removal of the stamp sidewise. similarly formed to that B, so as to allow the stamps to be drawn out at either side, the two lips a being relied upon to prevent the vertical escape of the stamps.

G is the weight or follower. This rests on top of the stamps and serves to hold them down firmly on the lips a e. The weight is held down to any position and allowed to descend as the stamps are used by spring-pawls H, secured to the weight and engaging ratchet bars or surfaces (1? on the inner sides of the sides A.

H are thumb-knobs secured to the pawls and extending through slots a in the sides A. By pressure upon the thumb-knobs the pawls H may be disengaged from the ratchet bars or surfaces and the weight moved upward to allow the introduction of additional stamps.

In use of the instrument. either the stamp or the envelope (or other paper) may be moistened and the stamp pressed hard against the envelope. The instrument is then moved sidewise to draw out the edges of the stamp from beneath the lips of and c. It will be understood that the stamps S are inserted in the case with the gummed side beneath.

I am aware that a check-box provided with a thick bottom plate having an opening to permit the insertion of the fingers to witlr draw a ticket sidewise through another opening in the side of the box above the bottom plate is old. Such a box has also been provided with a loaded ticket-fo1lower having spring-pawls engaging with racks 011 side plates. This construction I do not claim, broadly, because the bottom plate is not adapted to my purpose, being of such a thickness as to prevent the contact of a stamp with The lower edge of theslide E may be 2. The combination of the case and attaehei having sides A A, slightly-shortened side B, removable side E, lips to and slots a, head or plug 0, ratchet-bars a, Weight G, pawls H,

and knobs H, as set forth.

JNO. S. MILLER.

\Vitnesses:

SAM'L. KNIGHT, GUSTAV FRESH 

